Submarine commander fakes death to evade mistress

Ending a romantic affair by faking your own death is usually a
bad idea for -- I don't know -- everyone. What's an even
worse idea? Faking your own death weeks before taking command of
the US Navy's nuclear submarine USS. Pittsburgh. Now
you can read the Navy's internal report that tells the sordid
story.

On 5 September, Navy commander Michael P. Ward II was found
guilty of conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman,
dereliction of duty and adultery (an offence in the uniformed
services) after staging his death to deceive a younger lover with whom he
was having an affair, according to a Navy investigative report (.pdf) obtained
by Danger Room through a Freedom of Information Act request. As
punishment, Ward received the punitive letter of reprimand and has
been relegated to administrative duties at Naval Submarine Base New
London, the home port of the Pittsburgh.

The Navy wouldn't comment on whether or not Ward will be kicked
out of the service. But the 43-year-old former submarine
commander's naval career is now more or less over. "Commander
Ward's dishonesty and deception in developing, maintaining, and
attempting to end his inappropriate relationship … were egregious
and are not consistent with our Navy's expectations of a
commissioned officer," Captain Vernon Parks, the head of Submarine
Development Squadron 12, wrote in the report.

The story, first reported by the Connecticut
newspaper The Day, began last October, when Ward met
a 23-year-old woman from Virginia -- whose name was redacted from
the report -- on a dating website. They began to have an affair.
Ward was married and had children, but didn't reveal that to his
mistress. At the time, Ward worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
and the two saw each other when he came down for classes at the
Joint Forces Staff College. He also communicated with her over
email using the phony name "Tony Moore," and falsely told her he
was a special forces operator.

In June, Ward apparently wanted out of the affair. So he -- in a
striking further display of bad judgement -- concocted another
false identity, this time a supposed friend named "Bob", and sent
an email telling his mistress that he had died, according to the
report. "He asked me to contact you if this ever
happened," the email said, according to The Day. "I am
extremely sorry to tell you that he is gone. We tried everything we
could to save him. I cannot say more. I am sorry it has to be this
way."

Three days later, the woman drove from her home in Chesapeake to
Ward's house in Burke, Virginia to pay her respects. Instead, she
was greeted by a new owner who told the family that Ward "had not
actually died, but rather had moved to Connecticut to take command
of a US Navy submarine," the report said.

Then, Ward learned his former lover was pregnant. He resumed
contact -- after he faked his death. In late
July, Ward travelled to Washington DC for a medical appointment and
met with her to discuss "how to handle the pregnancy". She then
lost the baby due to complications and the illicit relationship
came to an end. But the ex-couple kept up contact which the Navy
believes impaired "his ability to take full responsibility" for the
sailors under his command.

The Navy didn't find out, though, until a relative of Ward's
ex-mistress got in touch with the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service (NCIS). Wad was then booted from his post one week after
taking command of the Pittsburgh.

"Commander Ward's actions directly contradict Navy standards,
especially the high standards of conduct expected of our commanding
officers," says Jennifer Cragg, a spokeswoman for the submarine
group. "Leaders who fail to meet these standards, like Cmdr.
Ward, are removed from leadership positions and referred for
appropriate disciplinary or administrative action."

It's an exceptionally awful story, and frankly bizarre. But it's
difficult to detect a trend in commander firings represented by
Ward's dismissal. Ward appears to be
the seventeenth Navy commander relieved of duty in 2012,
according to the Navy. "That's less than one percent of the
total personnel that we have serving in Navy commanding officer
billets," says Chris Servello, a Navy spokesman. "The vast majority
of our commanding officers serve with distinction."

Comments

God, people are dumb. It is a complete wonder to me how the hu(man) race continues to evolve when it's quite obvious which brain is really in control -- the Tiny Brain Down There has so much more say over any particular Day than the Big Brain that's supposed to be controlling it that I'm amazed Big Brain is able to function as intended by evolution at all.

Tiny Brain is so much more eager, so much more RESOURCEFUL, so much more CUNNING, so much more . . . STUPID.

That, my fellow Sapiens, is why Evolution, in All His Wisdom, GAVE US BIG BRAIN to lead us and NOT TINY BRAIN. Tiny brain need much food to keep tiny brain happy, but procuring food for tiny brain not Big Brain's responsibility. Procuring food for Tiny Brain is NATURE's RESPONSIBILITY.